>> most did give up and changed their travel plans. but for a handful of people they were able to get a new passport. >> you can see it. there it is. >> for the few people who were tealing with a family death or sick relative, they kept trying to get someone. finally they were answered by a duty officer who decided to drive into sack fan from naapa to help. so, they did get that christmas surprise and just for a handful of people. in the newsroom, grace lee, cbs 5. rain is in the bay area forecast again. that means after what happened this weekend people will be spending christmas keeping an eye on their neighborhood creek. cbs 5's joe vazquez went to find out why years of flood problems haven't been fixed. >> reporter: a lot of questions here. you can see the bag and behind

me the big mound of sand. people are making their own sandbags here. in east palo alto, according to a news release that just went out, they had significant damage to their levies. >> . >> curtis simms says the water came and damaged the den and the floors. >> it is pretty bad. it's pretty bad when it would come up to your furnace in your family room. >> it coif been much worse. that's the word from officials who surveyed the creek. if last night's 9:00 p.m. high tide had come just a few hours earlier. heavy rains ended around 6:00 p.m. yesterday. >> if at that moment there had been a very high tide, we could have had serious flooding.

so, we were lucky in that respect. >> reporter: still, the creek did manage to find its way into nearby neighborhoods. as the water rose, officials decide toad sack wait hundreds. several homes sustained major water damage. >> we want to raise the level of the levy, create a wall and deal with the boils and then in the next few days we will make further assessments. >> for the long term, city and county officials have been promising a major flood criminal problem since '98. curtis simms wants the project finished yesterday. >> in 1998, we were here. 14 years later, it's about time to do something about it. >> reporter: we're back live. you can see here, the water is back in its banks here. they are not expecting any problems any time soon.

as for that long-term project, the mayor of east palo alto tells me they are expecting to start a project within the next few months. allen, that will take years to complete. >> for those seven flooded homes, those folks working tonight with all that necessary their house i guess. >> reporter: yes. they are cleaning up. they are looking to make sure their flood insurance is kicking in. mr. simms was struggling with his insurance. they are saying you don't have it. >> not what they should have to do on christmas eve. >> reporter: exactly. >> thanks, joe. the rain is also to blame for this massive sink hole south of highway 116. a drainage pipe caused the pavement to collapse there. crews brought in steel plates to cover the roadway.

a tree in free mont fell and crushed some cars. cbs 5 chief meteorologist paul leano has more. >> reporter: dry conditions, but there is another weather maker i. will be here by this time tomorrow. high definition doppler drop throughout the bay area. a couple specks of green out west. that will arrive tomorrow. rain around the bay and more snow in the sierra. great news for skiers. above 5,000 feet. the forecast was calling for 8 to 20 inches of new snowfall on top of the 4.5 feet that fell over the weekend. rainfall totals since thanksgiving. you have had more than a dozen inches for san rafael and santa rosa. walnut creek, half of your annual rainfall over the past five weeks and 5 inches over

the past five weeks in san jose. we will talk about the entire outlook coming up in a few. >> see you then, paul. you can track the storm any time at cbssf.com/weather. still no sign of a man who ran from police at a dui stop, hopped a fence and jumped in the creek. cbs 5 reporter don ford tells us the man disappeared around 12:30 this morning after police lost sight of him. >> police chief eric masterson says donaldson jumped into the creek. >> the officers were very surprised to see hill jump into the water completely

unexpected. >> police say they followed allock the bank as far as they could trying to get donaldson out of the water but says he kept swimming away from them. >> we are very concerned. it was swift moving water. he could have got caught up in something or possibly have drowned. so, we're very concerned for his safety. we hope that he's okay. >> the swift water rescue team searched until daybreak. at dawn, a helicopter was used. by mid-morning anthony was still missing ensearch was called off. late this afternoon family members came to the bridge looking for hope. his younger brother was fearful. >> can your brother swim? >> no. he has asthma. if he was wearing a lot of clothes and shoes, not a good signed this his younger sister remembers their last phone call. >> i talked to him yesterday. >> what did he say? >> we just had a little

conversation like we always do after work about our day and what he was up to and what he was going to do that he night. >> police say the most important thing now is to make sure the man is safe and still alive. don ford, cbs 5. other bay area headlines. richmond's homicide rate is down and the city is no longer on the most dangerous list. this year 18 people were killed. that is a drop from 45 just three years ago. it is the lowest number the stelazine since 2001. in san francisco, the business improvement district is trying to deal with pushy panhandlers. they are interviewing people glove to the panhandlers. the idea is coming up with concrete ideas to finally stop what has been a problem for years. thousands of bay area nurses walked off the job. this 24 hour strike is the latest in the series of strikes by the california nurses

association. as usual, the hospital brought in replacement nurses. union leaders and manages still ateds over benefits and staffing. right now, odds are you finished with your shopping if you are watching our newscast, right? cbs 5 reporter mike sugerman has the annual story of last minute annual shoppers. how busy are those stores? >> reporter: these are the people who in high school waited until the last minute to turn in their term paper. actually to start writing it. the mall is closed. 6:00. i guess it is last minute last minute, but there are still cars here. >> merry christmas. merry christmas. >> what do you suppose your little sister wants. >> jammies. >> she will get back at her sister some day. >> i told them the elves are

already having trouble. >> pretty good right there. >> at brook stone, nay rubbed customers the right way. >> i will sit here all night. >> foot massager. what else but christmas would you ever buy that. 40% of the business comes during the christmas shopping season alone. >> week dirk not during a holiday. we pay do 5 fiscal cliff dollars. we're doing like $30,000 by mid- afternoon now days. >> he says seven times normal isn't as good as other holiday seasons. >> what are you shopping for today? >> family presents. getting shoes and gift considered. >> i guess it is not such a secret. >> this family already got aludels and there sure were a lot to be had. nationwide spending was down. some tried to make it up on this last day possible. >> some point in time where you

really don't want to do it anymore. you want to be with your family. >> he is hard to shop for. if his family is average they will spend about $750 this year and maybe waste some dough on something he doesn't want or need but he will smile just the same when he opens it. >> reporter: if you didn't make it to the mall by 6:00, there is always 7-leaven and walgreen's. merry christmas chris christmas to everybody. mike sugerman, cbs 5. last minute shoppers not onlied a the maul. we go to the grocery store

aisles. >> some elves are picking out last minute gifts. >> i did my shopping. >> last minute tomatoes right there. >> the staff is putting on the holiday finest during the rush. >> makes the whole family laugh. >> all day long we've been hugging the customer but we know them by name. everyone is wishing a happy holiday. it is the most incredible experience ever. >> what will you cook tonight? >> noodles with sauce. >> can we all come over for dinner. >> great. we will come by after the newscast. >> hope they bought enough

food. >> you have a spare gift at home. how you can make sure. plus, a dare river rescue caught on tape. a current so sock crews needed a boat to pull it off.

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we are getting reports of an avalanche this afternoon. a snowboard has been killed. they say he was a man in his 50s. he was found dead in two to throw feet of snow. the area has been closed to skiers and snow boarders. in los angeles a man held on for dear life screaming for help. >> he was trying to avoid being washed away by the rain-swollen

l.a . river. cbs 4 has the dramatic rescue. >> tense moments as firefighters pulled out all the stops to rescue a man. water gushed down fast, forceful and cold. >> we have assistant managers out there, things that are really dangerous. >> firefighters acted fast, responding to a call of a man stranded in this brush screaming for help. >> we wanted to get the boat in a calm area. so we tried to get there and try to get the rope over a tree or branch. >> this rescue team maneuvered a raft attached to a fire truck by rope downstream but the open strength of the current created charge. >> they worker that hearts out. tried to something a branch with one of our ropes. >> the stranded man standing waist deep managed to pull the

rescue team towards him. >> this type of weather patients can be really hypothermic. they will not have a lot of strength or energy. just for him to be able to tie the rope around a branch is good. >> as soon as he was pulled to safety of the raft he collapsed. >> he had no energy left. he just laid down. >> firefighters believe this man was homeless and living in the brush which is normally dry. he was trapped for hours they say. the water temperatures were so cold they say it is a christmas miracle he made it out alive. >> he was pretty beat up. he will probably be in the hospital a couple days with hot chocolate. >> rescuers say the water was up to their hips. if they tried to stand in it the current was so strong it would have swept them away. another dramatic rescue overnight mere livermore. a man's pickup truck drifted into the creek.

he was rescued and treated for hypothermia. many of these dangerous situations are results of the weather we had over the past few days. hopefully a bit of a break you're saying? >> reporter: we will get a bit of a break. the bull's eye, the jet stream will not be aimed right at us. no raffle. tomorrow even when the rain moves in it will beless than what we saw. right now beautiful bay bridge from our roof top here at kpix. temperatures made it to 60 in oakland. gillroy you hit ix. hayward 58. san francisco and san rafael a little bit cooler. 55 and 54 respectively. already seeing just a few light showers due west. it will be tomorrow afternoon until that rain moves in. tonight as clouds increase, we will see temperatures in the

upper 30s out to the low 4s in concord and san rafael. mid 40s for san francisco and oakland. tomorrow it will be cooler. already cloud cover moving in ahead of that next system. 4:00was a lot cloudier than 8:00 or 9:67:89 the next storm system will be moving in just a bit to the north. that is key as we watch this next guy move in. some of you got about 6 inches of rainfall. we will see rain tomorrow evening but not heavy. later on this week, thursday, friday, it is all about this. high pressure moving in. storm track goes up to other gone. we will be dry here in northern california. dry tonight and for the first half of tomorrow then rain moves in north to south, but it will not be a repeat of the heavy rainfall we had over the weekend. chris passports day, low to mid

50s. concord 52. san francisco 53. forecast, showers around late tomorrow. wednesday, we dry out thursday and friday. couple showers possible saturday. this forecast is a lot less stormy. that is your cbs 5 forecast. >> paul, thanks. more than a thousand presents on their way to children for chris passports day. >> rudolph the red-nose reindeer. >> annual toy drive at union square. mary ann lee joining the organizers. they are hoping to have at least 15,000 toys by the end of the vent. >> a great way to start christmas eve, wishing everybody a really merry christmas. >> i don't think that is snowfall behind them officially. toy donations accepted until 2:00 a.m. when the bar closes.

anybody unable to get there can donate. they will come to you, pick up your donation and take. firefighters will be delivering those donations around the city in their trucks tomorrow. >> i'm tired. a main stay for decades. the man behind the business that kept people year after year.

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he is 86 years young and nothing is uncial for his loyal customer base. where else can you buy navy wool pants with 13 buttons. the first kaplan's opened up during the war. they remade used military

clothing for civilian use. >> i used to go. we would bid on it or bite blind. >> lucky for them camouflage never went out of style. >> the hippy movement came along. we did very well. >> he has seen the rougher side of downtown market street go through changes. twitter moving into the neighborhood doesn't phase him. >> everyday is a new thing. you have to take care of business. >> any corporations try to take you guys over? >> no. but let me know. let me know. hello. >> they asked me if i retired. i said i am tired, not retired. >> it is one of the oldest family-run business in the city and they plan to stick around. linda yee, cbs 5. lawmakers take their christmas break without resolving the fiscal cliff problems. the millions of dollars in cuts

bay area people face if a deal isn't reached. two firefighters respond to a call and get kill bid an excon. why police call it a trap. i am adrianna diaz.

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now at 6:30, president obama and speaker john boehner have one last thing to do before the new year, but will they get a deal together in time to avoid the fiscal cliff? as the leaders on capitol hill try to agree, locals say they are prepared to lose billions. >> locals are brace -- brace for the possibility of cuts. here is the story. >> this morning a smiling san pan mayor ed lee was one of the first officials to show up at the annual toy drive. but it doesn't look like american cities or counties will get a lot of cheer out of washington with the pending fiscal cliff and the threat of

$7.5 billion in cuts. >> most of the cuts would be in health care, welfare programs for the poor, housing. >> across the bay alameda could bety supervisor predicted. >> our wic program which is a program for mothers to get nutrition for their newborn babies, that would experience a large cut. >> education would also take a hit. >> this would undo a lot of the good of the extra taxes carolinianstns are willing to invest. particularly special needs would have cuts as much as 10 10%. also, the meals program. >> it is not just the immediate cuts that worries the local

officials. it is also the on going uncertainty that comes from the stalemate in washington, a stalemate that bay area officials fear could affect the economy just when it is starting to recover. >> we are looking guard to a better economy. this would ruin all the progress that has been made. >> it is a signal that we can't get together. that is probably the worst decisions in the future. >> the fear is the uncertainty will go on, even if there is an agreement. the cuts may come but it is the uncertainty in these times and the one for new investment to be becoming in the bay area that has local officials worrying we may just wind up sinking into the mud once again. phil matier. back to you. >> i think a lot of peel thought this staring contest wouldn't have gone on. >> reporter: some people

thought the election might have answered some of these questions but they have not. now it looks like the senate is going to try to get it taken care of before the new year. what can we say? this is the state of american politics these days. it's not just washington, not just the egos. there are real consequences all across the nation. >> talk about trickle down. phil, thanks so much. stocks closed early today ahead of the christmas holiday, but wall street had enough time to lose ground amid worries that lawmakers won't reach a budget deal by next week nasdaq and s&pa hundred also down. police in new york say it was a set up. two firefighters responding to a call were kill bid an excon. cbs reporter jennifer lewis hall shows us how he lured them in. >> firefighters rushed to this early morning fire near rochester new york and were met by bullets.

police say 62-year-old william spengler lit a home and car on fire so he could lure first responders to the scene and shoot them. two webster firefighters were killed in the ambush. two more were injured. with crews under attack the flames burned out of control jumping from home to home. >> i'm not aware of anything like this in my 23 years in the to be of webster. >> police say soon after the s.w.a.t. team arrived the gunman took his life. crews put out the flames but not before several homes were lost. news spread quickly through the small town of webster. people brought fires to the local fire house and gave their cob -- condolences. >> who targets people on christmas. i'm sorry. >> he was in yale for beating his 92-year-old grandmother. he has been out of prison since

19986789 1998 -- 1998. mike chiapperini was also a webster police lieutenant for 20 years. now this small town will spend christmas eve mourning his loss. jennifer lewis hall for cbs news, new york. many super storm sandy victims didn't have a home, but thanks to volunteers some families are back home just in time for christmas. cbs reporter adrianna diaz has more. >> reporter: these twins are days from their first birthday and hours from their first christmas. who firsts, parents joe and jennifer were aparade they wouldn't celebrate at home. >> i didn't think it was possible. >> they bought their waterfront home a year ago but sandy ruined it. >> our walkway was two properties over, backwards, upside down. >> reporter: insurance isn't covering all the repairs and

joe and jennifer drained their life savings trying to get pregnant. they lucked out with the twins, but that meant there was little left for the house. >> a volunteer 24 agency stepped in to help. they rebuild communities around the country in the wake of disasters. >> we figured if we could start with families like joe and jen lane and put them bark then the whole community will benefit. >> joe is a new york city police detective who spent months at the world trade center site. new york says they spent 50 to $60,000 rebuilding his home. >> they had huge smiles on their face. the positive energy was infectious. it really made you feel like it was going to be okay. >> the lanes say celebrating

christmas is the best gift they can get. adrianna diaz, queens new york. coming up, unique presents you can still get without making it seem like it was a last minute purchase. plus, you better not pout. you better not cry. santa is coming to town. how you can track his path.

if you are one of the 17 million christmas eve shoppers, likely there is somebody on your lust who is impossible to shop for. >> -- list who is impossible to shop for. >> cbs 5's reporter julie watts that won't break the bank and won't reveal that you waited until the last minute. >> i always wait. >> as last minute shoppers rush to check off their list it seems everyone has someone who is nearly impossible to shop for. >> my dad. >> my younger daughter. >> because you never know what

the hell they want. >> we have come up with a few last minute gift ideas. first up, the aquaponics garden. >> it would be perfect for anybody, whether it was my dad who loves to cook to my little 7-year-old nephew who is obsessed with science. >> a segment on the creator. because the hot item is back ordered, forget about rush deliverly. print the ecard and your gift is ready to go. >> it can charge your phone, light or other gadgets.

>> the bio light camp stove gained popularity after hurricane sandy enabling people to charge their phones. great for anyone who lives in earthquake country. it is also back ordered and comes with a digital gift tag for last minute holiday orders. >> finally, a juicer but better. no sugar, milk or added calories. we have a variety of recipes. it was a hit in the newsroom. >> cost about $50. you can find it at a variety of retailers. unfortunately, the only one you may still be able to get to is target which stays open until 9:00. julie watts, cbs 5. still to come, the bay area clinic helping people what happened injuries get back on the -- hand injuries get back on the job. plus, how you can track santa from the palm of your hand. it is a special day tomorrow. we have a special type of forecast for you.

your 7 day weather poem coming up next. ahead, wait until you see what a couple of seattle seahawks players had to say about jim harbaugh after this game. and, how costly was this hit on raiders quarterback carson palmer.

hand and wrist injuries are the most common and expensive injuries. a county is addressing not only the cost but getting the patients back to work. >> from holding a baby to cradling a smart phone, our hands are in constant use. cutting, catching, getting work done, but also this eighthty can result in common painful hand problems. trigger finger, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome. >> my first three fingers are numb and i have pain. >> it also hurts economically. 20% of all er visits are due to hand and wrist injuries,

costing up to $740 million a year. >> show me where the pain is. >> now one bay area hospital is offering simple solution. at alameda county's high land hospital doctors can now perform certain hand surgeries in a new out patient clinic. >> bottom line, it saves m. it is easier on the patient. just going to be here for a couple hours instead of the day. >> it is really a win-win situation for everybody. >> you should feel a little pressure but nothing sharp. >> this surgeon heads up the program which provides the service for low income individuals. he does procedures to alleviate carpal tunnel, trigger fingers and small growth and cysts. >> it can be done under a local anesthetic. >> this 33-year-old, a mother of four is here to undergo a procedure for carpal tunnel. >> it is shooting pain up the arm, numbness in your fingers. >> the procedure took under 10

minutes. key what -- she was awake the entire time. there was no need for an? "a thesologist. >> it is very good they have a hand clinic. >> i am really happy about it. >> the demand is so great, the clinic is now offered twice a month. a north american aerospace defense has been tracking santa since 1955. this year you can keep tabs on mr. clause in a lot of different ways. norad now has santa tracker app for smart phones.

you can also follow st. nick on bing maps and twitter. good morning is tracking santa for the first time -- google for the first time. >> santa no doubt can weather any storm. >> yeah. >> but it sounds like clerisies, at least for his journey. >> reporter: perfect weather for rudolph and santa. now, can santa tweet? is there an app for that. >> reporter: that will not be answered this year. hey, christmas is coming up tomorrow. you have likely heard twas the night before christmas. we have music. we have our own version. without further adieu, here we go. >> twas the day before christmas. the rainfall moved out for only one day. we will now take a peek. we are dry from clear lake to walnut creek. snow in the sierras, yes they are measuring it in feet.

any skier's holiday is likely complete. now, santa lives at north pole so cold won't make him late but it will be chilly in the bah tonight. livermore dropping all the way down to 38. the satellite picture shows our break from the rain will be brief. folks thinking christmas day will be entirely dry will likely be in disbelief. the storm track will stay, though, just a tad to our north so flooding rainfall is not likely as this next storm moving forth. then by thursday or pressure will transition from low to high. that means tend of the week will be mainly dry. and now that your grass is looking very green, the long range outlook is trending require as we start 2013. tomorrow will be soggy but not until late so if your kids want to get outside and try all the new gifts, early in the day will be just graph high temps for christmas will be normal and not much m. wedwood city, san jose and fairfield will all top out at 54.

your extended forecast calls for rain. three days out of the next seven but thursday, friday, sunday and monday will each give you some california weather heaven. no big storms are heading our way so do not have any fright. merry christmas to you and your family bay area and have a great night and a dry night. >> well done. >> reporter: so, translation. vain is moving in late. we have time to kill here. wednesday looks soggy. then, a break thursday and friday and just a few showers. the best is we will not see any storms like we saw over the weekend. >> i think we have a new christmas present for you early. we have a new camera. spectacular. >> reporter: we meteorologist love to see vantage points that are unlike any other. this may be one of the best vantage points anywhere in the country, anywhere in the bay area at least. look at that. >> gorgeous. >> lit up like a christmas tree. >> merry christmas.

>> thank you, paul.

is why qb carson palmer hasn ruled out of next week's gat the chargers... nfl raiders business. after starting the first i games of the season, here is -- 15 game of the season, here is why quarterback carson palmer

has been ruled out of next week's gail against the chargers. >> according to the coach carson palmer suffered cracked ribs and bruised lungs. he made if flight back and then immediately checked himself into a hospital for observation. he was relisted today. dennis allen has not naped his starter. >> he's the quarterback. you don't ever want to see your quarterback get put out the game. personally, you try to put they quarterback out the game. you don't do anything illegal. but you see somebody put your quarterback out the game, kind of make you want to put theirs out. >> the worst loss in the harbaugh area, they have to reorganize and regroup according to the coach in his eight minute presser today. it was a costly 24-13 loss. sermon davis, tight end, left the game after sustaining that hit and left with concussion-

like symptoms. wide receiver manningham is reportedly out for the season after an m ri revealed a torn acl. russell wilson threw a career high four touchdowns against the 49 hearkens in that lopsided loss -- 49ers in that lopsided loss. >> we just got beat today. >> we don't want anything easy. for so long the nfc west was talked about so bad. they wanted us to be the steppingstone. times have change. >> now there is another twist to the rivalry between jim harbaugh and pete carol. after the 49ers beat the seahawks at home in week seven, harbaugh apparently was taunting the seahawks bus as he was leaving the parking lot. the quarterback said, quote, he honked his horn at the bus and

waved. a bunch of guys said yeah, he was honking. then safety earl thomas said yeah he honked at us. it seems like he tries to be a profession mall in front of the camera but does that when the cameras aren't around. , corroded quote. harbaugh says those allegations are false and he can't remember any team bus still around when he was leafing candle stick this year. san francisco welcomes the arrival of both arizona state and the may value academy hunger bowl. they have several community and sightseeing stops scheduled. a demand for tickets has been an issue for a couple players with bay area roots. >> a lot are asking for tickets. man, everybody been hitting me up. i'm still getting hit up. right when i got out the airport i had like popularity text messages asking for tickets. unfortunately i don't.

i am trying. >> it is that time of the show. i have it right here. let's check out the best plays of the weekend, kids. >> they love the great record. ninety-first goal in 2012. how about that. usf, go to the goal. now watch the fans celebrate with a forearm shiver to a defenseless girl. yeah. jim courier near court in friendly match with pete sampras. sampras nearly decapitated on the shot. >> oh, yes, sir. he can get up there. >> got a running start. >> out of the nfl, calvin johnson, also known as megatron

break jerry rice's record of most reception yards in a season. lone bright spot in detroit's season, well, they have a tendency to do this. taking a knee at the four yard line on a kick off. jim having some choice words as this poor kid wants to pull his eyes right out of his sockets. >> no. he's making his christmas wish list. >> i feel bad for him because he did think he was in the endzone. you have to know where you are. otherwise you'll end up on plays of the weekend. >> yeah. >> that is really loud pair. >> i shake that for emphasis to wake people who are half asleep. >> wow want -- crossing the atlantic ocean on his way. santa. >> go to bed, kid. go to bed. ,,

,,

announcer: this is joey fatone. it's time to play "family feud"! give it up for steve harvey! [captioning made possible by fremantle media] steve: how you all doing today? how's everybody doing? thank you all for coming. hey, welcome to "family feud," everybody. i'm your man, steve harvey, and like always, we got another good one for you today. returning for the second day with a total--$20,000; from boston, mass, home of the celtics, it's the charest family. [cheering] and out of chicago, illinois--that's my new hometown--it's the white family. let's get it on. give me kyle, give me tara. let's go. ["family feud" theme plays]